The Power Of Hate And Assault Weapons

As President Obama has repeatedly said, no action by Congress to control gun violence is in effect an action. I will not accept that America's new norm is constant gun violence.

Whether this last mass killing was motivated by ISIS or hatred of gay people, it is still an attempt to cause fear and panic. Hate is not part of any genetic code. Hate is learned and can intensify during a child's maturation process. We learn to be suspicious of certain groups. We learn to isolate those who are different from us. Hate festers and grows when those who should be setting an example for tolerance, humanity and acceptance are not living these values but are fanning fears. In causing further divisions and adding fuel to the fire, Donald Trump has capitalized on this and therefore must not be elected as president.

Congress must ban the sale of the assault weapons that have been used in these mass killings. I am tired of the NRA controlling our national and state gun policies. Their mantra is that we do not support the Second Amendment, which is not true. Assault-type weapons have no place in a democratic society. No president can keep America safe until these guns are controlled.